3 minute read
Plastics - they're not so fantastic
It’s even on the moon! The term plastic was first used in 1925, but it was not until the 1970s, just after Neil Armstrong planted a nylon flag on the moon, that plastic production took off.
It’s durable, flexible, and longlasting, in the home, in landfill and in the environment.
And who has not been shocked by that photo, taken more than a decade ago by Chris Jordan, of a dead albatross with plastics in its guts? That one photo brought home to the world the incredible level of plastics polluting our oceans.
But plastic rubbish is not just a problem in our oceans, it’s found in our waterways, bushland parks and reserves, dumped, dropped or blown out of rubbish bins. So what can we do to help?
Plastic in the bush
Bushcare sees plastic all too often at our working bees, whether it be a discarded tyre or a deflated balloon from a seemingly harmless celebration.
We always make a point of picking it up and removing rubbish at our working bees, but we’d rather be pulling out weeds than plastic.
At a South Hobart Bushcare working bee we found a bird’s nest made up of around 50 per cent polyester stuffing. There is anecdotal evidence synthetic fibres can permanently entangle birds’ feet so they can’t use their claws to perch or grasp because the fibres are so strong.
An Australian study of historical nests from museum collections showed that the first use of synthetic fibres by birds was identified in a nest in 1956 and by 2018, approximately 25 per cent of the nests studied contained man-made materials.
The same research found a magpie nest beside a building site containing headphones, saw blades and plastic 3D glasses!
Plastic can also affect the temperature in birds’ nests and bright colours can affect bird behaviour and expose the nest to predators. Common sources may include Halloween cobweb decorations, housing insulation and soft toy filling as well as string.
In the hills around Hobart we have found ingested plastic that has been eaten and excreted by carnivores such as quolls, devils, cats or raptors.
This can happen anywhere scavenging animals and birds find food wrapped in plastic. More of a concern is the plastic we don’t see, and which stays in animals’ intestinal tracts, and possibly accumulates.
Avoid, Reduce, Reuse and Recycle
It can be easy to feel helpless, especially when confronted by dumped rubbish, including plastics, in our favourite bushland parks and reserves.
But by making small changes such as being more diligent with our waste separation and being better at using the Avoid, Reduce, Reuse and Recycle principles we can have a significant, positive impact on our local environment.
